Smyrna times., 1887-04-13

CALCULATIONS as 10 pOllIlcal results
are more uncertain and will bother the
politicians in the next Presidential
Campaign who run up and down the
electoral votes of the states as not be-
fore in a generation. The Philadelphia
Times in discussing the elections of last
week under the head of Lessons of
the Recent Elections" makes the fol-
lowing reflections:
There is an impressive lesson in the
elections of the past week for the in
telligent politician who is prepared to
look the truth squarely in the face. It
IS the lesson of steadily weakening par
ty obligations and of the lusty growth
of the independence of voters of all
classes and faith. IF the lesson came
only from single State or section, it
wOuld lose its force in the common ac-
cldents OF American politics; but when
the same lesson comes from Michigan.
Wisconsin and Rhode Island, and from
chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee. St.
Louis and Cleveland, only those who
are stone-blind to the plainest truth
VIII fail to comprehend its meaning.
The great lesson taught bv the
widely distant, important and varied
elections of the week is the sturdy and
growing independence of the great
mass OF voters, and the impotence of
party discipline and power in holding
the. people to political organizations
and orders. When political indepen-
dence first asserted itself in a national
contest in 1884, it was treated bv the
OLD time politicians as a sudden ebulli-
ton OF Mugwumps that, like the bee.
would be biggest at its birth and since
That time the party organs of both sides
have been, specially devoted to the du-
ty OF annihllating and burying out of
slght OF politics every vestige of poIiti-
cal independence. The organs have
Jolly and prosperous time of it between
elections, as they and the politicians
can babble more to the curbstone
square-fOOt than ten or twenty times
their number of quiet. iudependent
mlnd-yOur-OWn-busine citizens: but
as Olten as elections come around the
independent voter turns up stronger
and stronger every time when there is
the least prOvocation for swapping the
the party thongs.
One-fourth of the whole Demo-
cratic vote cast at the late election in
Philadelphia was cast for one or more
OF the Republican candidates. and one
tenth of the Republican vote poIled
was given to the Democratic candidates
Tor Mayor and Tax Receiver. In
miehigan both parties voted for Dor
tlOn OF the State Judicial ticket. and
party lines were entirely Obliterated on
FrOnlOltlOn, and Wisconsin united all
Parues IN the reelection Of a judge
In milwaukee city and county, the Re
PuDllcans and Democrats fused against
the Labor ticket in the election Of Cir.
cult and Superior Court Judges. he
cause the Anarchists have IMPRESSED
themselves so positively upon the aims
OF the Labor organizations that the
maintenance of law and order and the
honest administration of Justice de-
manded such union.
In Chicago, four-ffths of the Demo-
Gratis openly voted for the Republican
CITY ticket and elected it by a majority
nve thousand larger than the whole So.
called Labor Union vote. That citv
had become the hot-bed of Anarchists
under the rule of the arch demauoyue
mayor Harrison, and the issue Was
squarely made between law and anar-
cny, and Roche, Republican. was elect.
eo mayor by vote of 81 ,279 to % 23O
lot Nelson, who was ostensiblv the
LABOR candidate but in fact the chosen
Tauuluate ~. OF the organized Anarchists
St; Louis party lines were practical
oolterated in the contest between
tne friends of good government and
the Dummer and jobbing element of
Dotn parties, and good citizenship won
~ minneapolis the Democrats gained
the control Of the city for the fra tine
IN many years in Dubuoue the Iahor
ticket swept the field over both tho oid
PaItles III cleveland the Republicans
lost every thing by a large majority
ana 10 Cincinnati the Republicans
carried their ticket by scratch over
Ine Labor ticket, leaving the Demo
Gratis away in the rear as the third
But the most significant political
revolution occurred in Rhode Island
on wednesday, when the Democrats
erected their Governor and entire Stata
tlcKet In square fight against the Re.
puoilcans; Il would be simply idiotic
70 claim that the revolution In Rhode
Island Is partisan Democratic vietorv
~ IS nothing Of the sort, any more than
sne y 9eieat Of the Anarchists in Chicago
= a Republican victory of the neonis
= ulstlnct, emphatic declaration oftba
aOsolute :. independence of voters. and
II has most significant lesson for ali All
who would learn the truth. 20 al
lt was the offspring of the AIno-
Mumps of 1884 who wrought revolnt;d1
q. hnode Island, and it was the ssn,a
gtowing and defiant element that bos
yuse swept old party organizations and
T 9suers away like eobwebs from New
England to the far Northwest The
i.ls Psopis nave taught the politicians q
S@' ie7soni VIII they profit BY itPD
..E peach growers Of Caroline co.